Our easy Chicken Caprese recipe has juicy chicken breasts baked in a simple balsamic reduction with melted mozzarella, fresh tomato, and basil. It’s healthy, flavorful, and made all in one pan.
Do you love one pot meals as much as I do? I recommend this Tuscan Chicken Pasta, Mongolian Beef, Cottage Pie, or Meatballs Arrabbiata!
![A baked chicken caprese recipe with melted mozzarella cheese and topped with a slice of fresh tomato and chopped basil.](images/chicken-caprese24-4-2.jpg)
One Pan Chicken Caprese worthy of your busiest night
This Chicken Caprese recipe is proof you can have a beautifully impressive looking dinner on the table in just about 30 minutes. I love that it pulls from the fresh flavors of a traditional caprese salad to create a flavorful chicken dish that will steal the show on any table. The key is to use fresh tomatoes from a local famers market, or grown from your garden if you’re that lucky!
How to make Chicken Caprese:
Sear Chicken and Make Sauce: Season chicken on both sides with oil, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper then sear in a hot pan with oil, until golden brown on each side. In a bowl, combine diced red onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar. Pour mixture into the pan and simmer.
![Two images showing seared chicken breasts in a pan, then a balsamic vinegar glaze to make an easy chicken caprese recipe.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Chicken-Caprese24-2.jpg)
Bake: Return chicken to the pan and spoon sauce on top. Place pan in oven and bake until chicken is cooked through. Top each chicken breast with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Broil until the cheese has melted completely.
![Two images showing the best chicken caprese recipe with chicken balsamic glaze over the chicken, then after mozzarella cheese is melted on top.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Chicken-Caprese24-3.jpg)
Serve: Add a fresh sliced tomato and basil on top. I love to serve chicken caprese with a green salad and fresh artisan bread.
![Three chicken breasts in a pan with a balsamic sauce, topped with melted cheese, a fresh tomato slice, and chopped basil.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Chicken-Caprese24-5.jpg)
Storing and Freezing Instructions:
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I enjoy the cold chicken chopped over salad greens, for lunch.
To Freeze: You may freeze the chicken before adding the cheese and tomatoes in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then rewarm and add caprese toppings.
Recipe Variations:
- Grilled Chicken Caprese: Season the raw chicken as directed, but grill on a well greased grill, until cooked through. Add mozzarella cheese and close grill lid until cheese has melted. Add tomato and basil and serve.
- Chicken Caprese Pasta: Double the balsamic sauce then serve the chicken caprese over hot cooked pasta, drizzling the pasta in the extra sauce.
- Chicken Caprese Sandwich: Cook chicken in oven as directed. Serve each cooked breast inside your favorite kind of toasted bread or crusty roll, with a slice of mozzarella, tomato, and handful of arugula. Garnish with salt and pepper and a small drizzle of balsamic sauce.
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Recipe
![Chicken Caprese chicken breast with mozzarella, tomato and basil on top, served on a plate with a green salad.](https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Chicken-Caprese-Web-10-500x500.jpg)
Chicken Caprese
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts*
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup red onion , diced
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 Roma tomatoes , sliced
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese , sliced
- fresh basil leaves , chiffonade cut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Season chicken on both sides with 1 Tablespoon oil, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Brown chicken: Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add remaining oil, then chicken, and sear chicken quickly, flipping once, just until golden on both sides. Remove to plate.
- Glaze: Mix together the diced red onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Pour the mixture into the skillet and simmer, stirring, for 3 minutes.
- Bake: Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over it. Place pan in oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees), about 10-20 minutes depending on how thick the breasts are. Remove from oven.
- Turn oven to broil.
- Top each chicken with a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. Broil just until the cheese has melted.
- Serve immediately, topped with fresh sliced tomatoes and fresh-cut basil and spoon the pan sauce over the top.
- Make it a meal and serve chicken caprese with a green salad and fresh artisan bread.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe May 2019. Updated August 2021 and April 2024.
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This was such a hit with my family. I served it over our favorite pasta, a side salad, and fresh bread. I’ll definitely be adding it into our rotation. Easy, fast, and delicious!
This was a yummy and fast dinner. My family loved it. The sauce was just too sweet for our taste. I will cut back on the sugar next time and add salt and pepper to the sauce.
All of Lauren’s recipes are a hit in our home!
I made this with cauliflower instead of chicken and made a cashew cheese instead of regular cheese and it was amazingly good like that too. I always like to make your recipes vegan and gluten free. It’s a fun challenge for me and for recipes are so good that the do really well like that.
I made this and it was AMAZING. Sauce is perfectly tangy. Served with Cesar salads and garlic bread!
How would I make this into a pasta dish/ what would you recommend for sides if I don’t use pasta. looks yummy, cant wait to try it 🙂
I would just serve it over whatever pasta your like and spoon the sauce over everything. Enjoy!
REALLY easy and yummy recipe. Thanks!
i can’t find where i can join and log in
I don’t have that feature available currently, sorry.
Very good chicken! I however, I did not bake it. We have a electric company that has bummed up it’s rate three times during the hours of 5 PM to 8PM. daily. So I try not to use my electric oven and use my gas top stove. I sauteed the chicken brown and covered it turning the heat down… 5 minutes later I added the sauce. Finished the rest of the recipe.